Plastic reel with sacrificial amount of plastic provided in the head



Sept. 5, 1967 MONTE$| 3,339,861

PLASTIC REEL WITH SACRIFICIAL AMOUNT OF PLASTIC PROVIDED IN THE HEAD Filed Aug 10 1966 F l G. 2

INVENTOR EDWARD N. MONTESI BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,339,861 PLASTIC REEL WITH SACRIFICIAL AMOUNT OF PLASTIC PROVIDED IN THE HEAD Edward N. Montesi, Barrington, R.I., assignor to Wanskuck Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Aug. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 571,494 1 Claim. (Cl. 242--118.7)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wire reel having a molded head with a web and an outwardly extending flange, the head being thickened at the juncture of the web and the flange with an amount of sacrificial plastic so that after wear of the head at the juncture, the head will still be strong enough to support the desired load.

This invention relates to a reel, more particularly to a reel which is adapted for receiving wire and other strand material, and provides a shipping package for transporting its wound content from one place to another.

The invention comprises a reel having a barrel portion with molded heads at each end thereof and with each head provided with an outwardly extending flange, which flange is reinforced strongly to prevent the flange from breaking when the reel is roughly handled or rolled with its contents from one location to another over a rough surface.

The reinforcing comprises the thickening of the flange in an amount which may be sacrificed due to wear of rolling the reel over rough surface and still provide the strength necessary and so locating the reinforcing or thickening portion of the flange that the load of the reel content will be best supported.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a lightweight reel which may be utilized for shipping wire or other strand material from one point to another, the reel being formed at such low cost that the reel may be discarded after one or several uses depending upon its application.

Anoher object of the invention is to reinforce a flange which extends outwardly from the radially extending portion of the head at such a location that the load of the reel is borne in substantially the plane of the web of the head at its best and strongest support, thus providing that the very outer edge of the flange will not receive this load which may cause it to crack or chip.

Another object of the invention to provide a reel which may be molded of a thermoplastic set which may or may not be reinforced for the strengthening of its structure.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of the reel with one of the ends broken away to better show its construction; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view to show the shape of the flange of the head with relation to the web portion of the head.

This invention relates primarily to the head of the reel, the barrel portion of which may be variously formed. The head comprises a web portion which is located in a plane at generally right angles to the axis of the reel or the axis of its barrel with a flange or rim extending outwardly from the outer circular edge of the web, which has a shape web having inner and outer annular surfaces, said outer "ice providing great strength and a bearing surface so located that the weight of the reel will be borne in substantially the plane of the web of the head, the whole being of a molded thermoplastic set which may or may not be reinforced .with fiberglass or some other reinforcing material.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates generally the barrel portion of the reel which, in the present instance, is shown as being of two parts with each part 11 attached to a head designated generally 12. These barrel portions are molded integral with the head, although from the standpoint of the inventive novelty of this application, this is not necessary. The ends of the barrel are provided with teeth 13 which fit into recesses 14 in the opposite barrel portion to provide an integral portion when attached together, all of which is set forth in greater detail in a co-pending application of which I am one of the inventors, Ser. No. 517,058, filed Dec. 28, 1965, now abandoned.

Each of the heads 12 comprises a web portion 15 of thermoplastic set material which is in plane substantially at right angles to the axis of the reel and body of the barrel. This web has an inner surface 17 adjacent the barrel and an outer surface 18 facing outwardly from the center portion of the barrel.

The flange 16 has an annular inner surface 20 and an annular outer surface 21. The outer surface 21 tapers inwardly toward the axis of the reel as seen in FIG. 2 providing location of greatest diameter at right angles to the axis of the reel at 22 with the outer surface at 23 merging along an arcuate line into the inner surface 17 of the web 15. This presents, in effect, an outer bulge in substantially the plane of the Web 15 so that when the reel is rolled upon a horizontal surface represented by the line 25, the weight of the reel will be borne along the area 22 and consequently the wear on the head when roller upon such a surface will be at location 22 and substantially in the plane of the web 15 which provides the greatest strength for such weight that may be provided in the head of this construction.

The inner annular surface 20 of the flange extends from the blunt end 26 of the flange which is thicker than the web 15 along a surface of gradually decreasing diameter at right angles to the axis of the reel and merging along a line of arcuate formation 27 into the outer surface 18 of the web, thus providing a heavy filleted portion 28 of great strength for the support of the flange, and a flange which has a thickness greater than the web at all points and an average thickness of more than twice the thickness of the web 15.

A reel 24 x 6 x 14 inches of thermoplastic set often referred to as a fiberglass resin with no reinforcement in the head and constructed as above described had wound upon it 325 pounds of wire and was rolled a distance the equivalent of ten miles over a rough cement floor and was found to sustain a wear of between 25 and 30 thousandths of an inch. The reel was roughly handled. However, the flange did not chip but merely wore a broadened edge surface along a line represented by the dotted line at 30 in FIG. 2.

The plastic reel of the above construction has the advantage of the provision of a heavy fillet such as at 28 which cannot be provided in a steel headed reel. The portion worn is an amount which is added to the reel and becomes in reality a sacrificial amount or an amount beyond that which is necessary for the strength needed in the reel, thus providing a long time wearing surface for reels carrying heavy loads of the example indicated above.

I claim:

A reel for wire and thelike comprising molded plastic head of circular shape having a web in a plane at right angles to the axis of the reel with inner and outer faces, a flange extending outwardly from the outer edge of the annular surface generally inclined toward the axis of the reel and presenting a portion of greatest diameter at right angles to the reel axis in substantially the plane of the outer face of said web, said outer surface of said web and inner surface of said flange defining substantially an annular hollow space, wherein the flange is substantially twice the average thickness of said web and wherein the inner surface of the flange extends along an arc of decreasing diameter at right angles to the reel axis to the outer face of the Web providing a thickening and strengthening fillet and the outer surface of the flange decreases in diameter along an arc from said greatest diameter to the outer end of the flange providing with said fillet a portion thick enough to provide the required strength after a considerable portion is worn oif.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

, GEORGE F. MAUTZ, Examiner. 

